On the night Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks captain Seiichi Uchikawa reached the 2,000-hit milestone, one of the the first items on public broadcaster NHK's 9 p.m. national news program was a breathless retelling of the first NPB home run hit by Kotaro Kiyomiya, the Hokkaido ...

Seiichi Uchikawa became the 51st player to reach Japan's iconic 2,000-hit milestone on Wednesday with an eighth-inning single in the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks' 3-0 win over the Seibu Lions.
"I finally, finally got it," said Uchikawa, who had gone hitless for two games since getting ...

Takayuki Kishi surrendered marquee rookie Kotaro Kiyomiya's first hit but finished with a three-hitter, leading the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to a 1-0 win over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Wednesday.
Before 27,661 at Sapporo Dome, Kishi (2-1) walked two and struck out 10 ...

No. 1 draft pick Kotaro Kiyomiya was called up to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' top team Tuesday after starting the season with the Pacific League club's farm team due to abdominal issues.
The 18-year-old Kiyomiya is set to make his debut as early as ...

After a slow start to his first season as a professional, Kotaro Kiyomiya provided fans with a small glimpse of what made him the most sought-after player in last fall's NPB draft.
The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters rookie hit his first two pro home runs ...

The 69th Sapporo Snow Festival launched on Monday with some 200 snow and ice sculptures on display, including one of a famous manga hero.
More than 2 million people are expected to attend weeklong event, which is held in three venues in Hokkaido's capital.
In commemoration ...

No. 1 draft pick Kotaro Kiyomiya will start his professional career on the top team when the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters open spring camp in Arizona next month, the Pacific League club said Wednesday.
The 18-year-old rookie was named in the list of 42 Fighters ...

High school slugger Kotaro Kiyomiya, the most sought-after player in last month's amateur draft, agreed on Thursday to join the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, who won his negotiating rights in a seven-way draft-day lottery.
The 184-cm, 102-kg Kiyomiya hit 111 home runs as a high ...

The most celebrated high school slugger in recent memory will don the colors of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2018.
Seven teams selected Kotaro Kiyomiya, the 18-year old superstar from Tokyo's Waseda Jitsugyo High School, during the first round of the 2017 NPB Draft ...

Kotaro Kiyomiya, who holds the unofficial high school baseball record of 111 home runs, on Friday expressed his intention to turn professional.
"I have decided to try for my next big dream with the understanding of how tough it is to be a pro," the ...

Kotaro Kiyomiya hit his 109th home run as a high schooler on Saturday, extending his unofficial Japanese record.
The Waseda Jitsugyo High School senior was with Japan's under-18 national team in a practice game against a university squad in Chiba Prefecture.
The young Samurai Japan squad ...